Journal article
Neighborhood Food Environment and Walkability Predict Obesity in New York City
Environmental health perspectives, v 117(3), pp 442-447
01 Mar 2009
PMID: 19337520
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Differences in the neighborhood food environment may contribute to disparities in obesity.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of neighborhood food environments with body mass index (BMI) and obesity after control for neighborhood walkability.
METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional, multilevel analysis of BMI and obesity among 13,102 adult residents of New York City. We constructed measures of the food environment and walkability for the neighborhood, defined as a half-mile buffer around the study subject's home address.
RESULTS: Density of BMI-healthy food outlets (supermarkets, fruit and vegetable markets, and natural food stores) was inversely associated with BMI. Mean adjusted BMI was similar in the first two quintiles of healthy food density (0 and 1.13 stores/km(2), respectively), but declined across the three higher quintiles and was 0.80 units lower [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-1.32] in the fifth quintile (10.98 stores/km(2)) than in the first. The pre valence ratio for obesity comparing the fifth quintile of healthy food density with the lowest two quintiles combined was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.78-0.97). These associations remained after control for two neighborhood walkability measures, population density and land-use mix. The prevalence ratio for obesity for the fourth versus first quartile of population density was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.73-0.96) and for land-use mix was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.86-0.97). Increasing density of food outlets categorized as BMI-unhealthy was not significantly associated with BMI or obesity.
CONCLUSIONS: Access to BMI-healthy food stores is associated with lower BMI and lower prevalence of obesity.
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Details
- Title
- Neighborhood Food Environment and Walkability Predict Obesity in New York City
- Creators
- Andrew Rundle - Columbia UniversityKathryn M. Neckerman - Columbia UniversityLance Freeman - Columbia UniversityGina S. Lovasi - Columbia UniversityMarnie Purciel - Columbia UniversityJames Quinn - Columbia UniversityCatherine Richards - Columbia UniversityNeelanjan Sircar - Columbia UniversityChristopher Weiss - Columbia University
- Publication Details
- Environmental health perspectives, v 117(3), pp 442-447
- Publisher
- Us Dept Health Human Sciences Public Health Science
- Number of pages
- 6
- Grant note
- 5R01ES014229 / National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) R01ES014229 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000263933600033
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-64049087052
- Other Identifier
- 991020100056904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
- Toxicology